Heading South – Vancouver City Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. Oct. 1974.

After an exciting road journey (driving and hitch-hiking) from Montreal, Philippa and I arrived in Vancouver. After a visit to the City Art Gallery I was offered an exhibition if I could produce enough work in about three weeks. Working with the curators Willard Holmes and John Buckley I managed to execute a series of drawings and paintings, and to make another installation during the period of the exhibition. Two floor constructions (Three Rivers and Heading South) were made in the space using materials gathered in the Vancouver area. As in other working exhibitions I responded to the many dialogues I had with visitors, developing the work as we talked.

Here are a couple of extracts from notes made at the time and included in the exhibition:

The edges of a work of art are never as clearcut as we imagine. They extend beyond the physical limits of the materials used and include the processes of construction, perception and interpretation which any of us contribute to it. In a sense the artwork is is always a bye-product of communal activity.

A chart, and the work of charting – making out what is there – revealing, uncovering – lifting stones to see what’s underneath – an ants’ nest or a slow worm coiled and sleepy.